Tongue-support



, (o Model.)

- o. B. PIGKETT.

TON-GUE SUPPORT.

PatentedKSept. 7, 1886.

UNTTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORLANDO B. IPIOKFIIT, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

retiens-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,580, dated September '7, 1886,

Application iiled.Tn1ic2il,1SsG. Serial No. 206.0151. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'L1/hom it may coll/cern:

Beit known that l., ORLANDO B. Pieknr'r,

acitizen of the United States, residing` at Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vagonlongue Supports; and I do hereby declare the following to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as' will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

' liIy invention has for its object to produce a support for wagon-tongues which maybe readily applied to all ordinary wagons now in use, which shall be simple in construction, adjustable, and which cannot possibly get out of order. Various devices have been devised to accomplish this result, but have not been successful in practical use, as they were both complicated and expensive, and most of them have been only adapted for attachment to special classes of wagons. In order to overcome these objections, and to produce a wa gon-tongue support which will 'fully meet the requirements of every day hard usage, I have devised the novel construction of which the following` description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used toindicate the several parts.

Figure l is a plan View of a portion of the running-gear of a heavy wagon; Fig. 2, a side elevation with one wheel removed; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail view showing the spring in elevation detached, and Fig. Ll an enlarged plan view of the spring detached.

It will of course be understood that the special running-gear of the wagon has nothing whatever to do with my invention, as I contemplate applying it to all classes of wagons.

1 denotes the pole; 2, the axle; 3, the bolster, and 4 the reach. For the sake of elearness inthe drawings the evener and whillletrees have been omitted.

5 indicates a double coiled spring formed in the manner which I will now describe.

6 is an eye or loop formed at the center of the rod from which the spring is made. After being closed inward at the base of the eye or loop the metal of the rod is curved outward, as clearly shown, and is then coiled inward,

two or more coils, 7, being preferably formed in each half of the rod. rlhe two ends S of the rod are then turned backward, lying side by side. the top of the tongue by a clip, 9, and cross piece or strap l0, ol' ordinary construction. XVhen in position upon the tongue, loop 6 projects upward and forward, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. In assembling, the clip is passed around the under side of the tongue, the shanks being reduced and threaded in the usual manner. These shanks project through holes in the cross piece or strap, and the parts are secured together by nuts Il, engaging the threaded shanks of the clip. In practice I usually place the spring forward from the base ol" the pole a quarter or a third of its length. This, however, is a matter wholly within thejudgment of the user, and will depend somewhat, of course, upon the style of wagon upon which it is used. The entire weight of the tongue is supported bythe coils ofthe spring. In order to accomplish this result, I provide a connection between eye or loop 6 and some solid portion of the ruiminggear, preferably the axle or bolster. In the present instance I have shown the spring` as connected to a staple, 12, in the bolster. It is of course necessary that this connection should be very strong, and it is also necessary that it should be adjustable. In the present instance I have shown a hook,13,engaging thestaple, a section of chain', 14, engaging the other end of the hook, anda hook, l5, engaging one of the links or' the chain. At the other end of hook l5, and upon the opposite side of eye 6, formed in the spring, is an eye.,y IG, to which a section of chain, 17, is attached, for a purpose presently to be explained. In assembling, hook l5 is passed through eye 6, and then the whole body of the hook passed backward until eye 16 is close against the portion of the spring bent to forni cye 6. I thus form a simple and very strong connection between the parts. Hook l5 is caused to engage any one of the links in the section of chain let, the special adjustment depending, ol course, upon the position of spring 5 relatively to the bolster, and also upon the height at which it is desired to hold the tongue. Should it be desired to raise the tongue at any time, it is In use this spring is secured upon IOO simply necessary to catch hook 15 in -a loop farther back, or if it is desired to lower the tongue hook 15 is engaged with a loop farther forward.

It will ol course be apparent that in passing over uneven ground or through deep gullies the forward end of the pole will frequently be carried by the horses considerably below its normal position relatively to the wagon. This of course places great strain on the spring, as the forward end oi' the pole cannot drop down, except as the spring yields. In going over very rough grond, it will frequentlyhappen that the sudden downward movements of the tongue will coil the spring considerably, and that when the tongue comes up it will as suddenly fly back again. In order to prevent any sudden or unusual strain upon the spring, I have provided section 17 of chai u, one end of which engages eye 16 of hook 15, and a link of which engages a hook, 18,' in the tongue. Vhcn the tongue is in its normal position, this section of chain of coursehangs loosely, and in practice I so adjust it as to permit a reasonable amount of up-and-down molion ofthe tongue; but when the limit of this adjustment is reached chain 17 will be drawn taut, thus preventing the spring from being `coiled any further. I am thus enabled to raise and lower the tongue and hold it in any de sired position, and, furthermore, when necessary toperfect] y limit and control the upward and downward Vibration of the tongue in going-over rough ground.

It will of course be understood that I do not limit myself tothe exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that they may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a wagon-tongue, and a spring consisting of two coils, 7, andan upwardly-projecting eye or loop, 6, of a clip and cross-piece, whereby said spring is secured to the tongue, and a rigid adjustable connection extending from the eye or loop to some solid portion of the running-gear-for example, the bolster.

2. In a wagon-tongue support, a double- Coiled spring having an upwardly-projecting eye, 6, at its center, said coils extending inward, and the two ends 8 lying parallel, in combination with a wagon-tongue, a clip and cross-piece, whereby said spring is held in place, and a connection extending `from said eye to the bolster of the wagon, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. rEhe tongue, a double-coil spring having an upwardly-projecting eye, (3, and the bolster, in combination with a hook engaging said bolster, another hook connected to said eye, and a section, 14, of chain between said hooks, whereby the height of the tongue may be adj usted.

et. The tongue and a doublecoil spring having an upwardly-projecting eye, 6, in combination with a connection having an eye, 16, which extends from eye 6 to the bolster, and a chain extending loosely Yfrom eye 1G to a hook in the tongue forward of the spring, whereby the upward and downward vibration of the tongue may be adjusted and controlled.

5. rIlhe tongue having a spring provided with eye G secured thereto, and a hook, 18, forward of said spring, in combination with hook 15, having an eye, 1G, which engages eye 6, a chain, 17, connecting eyelG with the hook in the tongue, and another section of chain or its equivalent connecting hook 15 with the bolster of the wagon, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ORLANDO B. PICKETT.

Vtn esses:

AARON J. PICKETT, DAVID B. BOOTH. 

